Mithi desilting scam: ED’s second round of raids target 8 locations of BMC contractors in Mumbai

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police had booked 13 accused–five private contractors, three BMC officials, three middlemen, and two private company officials–in May for allegedly causing wrongful loss to the civic body worth more than Rs 65.54 crore in the alleged scam. Desilting work contracts worth nearly Rs 1,100 crore are under the scanner.

Based on the EOW’s predicate offence, ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and began a money-laundering investigation. According to sources, the ED began investigating properties acquired by the accused during the scam period and the source of the money used to acquire the properties.

The initial police inquiry revealed various financial irregularities related to contracts awarded between 2021-22 and 2022-23 for desilting the Mithi river. These irregularities relate to the transportation of sludge and its dumping on the ground. Later, EOW found that the contractors submitted nine fake memoranda of understanding.

In the past few months, both the EOW and ED have questioned actor Dino Morea, who has not been named an accused in the case yet, and his brother.

A close friend of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, Morea is reportedly close to Ketan Kadam, a key accused in the alleged scam and the alleged middleman of Vodar India Limited, with whom the actor has reportedly been acquainted for the past 25 years.

EOW sources said there were five to seven monetary transactions worth Rs 14-18 lakh between Morea and Kadam. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the EOW is investigating these transactions.

After the 2005 Mumbai floods, the authorities realised the issues with the Mithi river, an 18.64-km seasonal river, and the Government put in efforts to clean sludge from the riverbed to ensure uninterrupted water flow. It has been alleged that massive corruption occurred in the desilting work sanctioned and carried out by the BMC.

The SIT has already arrested two middlemen—Ketan Kadam and Jay Joshi, owner of Virgo Specialities Private Limited.

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